Local SEO citations: the 15 directories that matter

Citations (mentions of your business name, address, phone on other sites) are one of the top 5 local SEO ranking factors. But not all directories matter. For SMEs you need 15 well-done instead of 100 spammy. Here are which.

The 5 critical directories (ALL sectors)

1. Google Business Profile: ground zero (see dedicated guide)
2. Yelp: important for restaurants and local services
3. TripAdvisor: critical for tourism, restaurants, hotels
4. Trustpilot: cross-sector review platform
5. BBB / National Yellow Pages: ancora rilevante

The 5 useful directories (sector-specific)

• Industry-specific directories: for your specific niche
• Local chambers of commerce: high authority for local SEO
• Country-specific directories (e.g. Yell.com for UK)
• Specialised review platforms: settori finanza/assicurazioni
• Trade association directories

The 5 global directories (high domain authority)

• Bing Places: Microsoft, high authority
• Apple Maps Connect: important for iOS users
• Foursquare: still indexed by Google
• Global Yellow Pages: strong domain authority
• Better Business Bureau: strong trust signal

NAP consistency rule (critical)

NAP = Name, Address, Phone. Must be identical across ALL directories:

• "Gamerbit Ltd" or "Gamerbit Limited" — pick one version and use it everywhere
• Address: street vs Street, house number in same format
• Phone: with or without country code, always identical

NAP inconsistencies reduce ranking by 15-30%.

Tools to manage citations

• Whitespark ($20/month): scans, identifies gaps, suggests
• BrightLocal (€30/month): more complete, includes local ranking tracking
• Manual: for <20 citations, manual management is OK (1-2 hours/month)

15 well-done citations = +20-40% local ranking in 90 days. Full system in Local SEO Domination €1,490.

Want to apply this to your SME?

If you'd like a concrete analysis of your situation, request the free audit from Gamerbit. In 48 hours we tell you exactly where you're losing leads, time or budget — no sales pitch.

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